Band of Outsiders is a 1964 Jean Luc Godard movie that focuses on a trio of students who attempt to pull off a robbery. Its style, attention to subtext and tone may have served as inspiration for Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.
The most common link between Tarantino and Band of Outsiders is the movie’s famous dance scene. According to Tarantino historians, the scene was a direct inspiration for Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace’s Jack Rabbit Slims dance in Pulp Fiction. However, the subtext floating around the story’s main plot celebrating American gangster movie culture is what makes Band of Outsiders a quintessential Tarantino influence.
The story is pretty simple. Two students, Franz and Arthur, decide to rob a house. They enlist the help of Odile, who lives in the house with her Madame Victoria. It’s a strange arrangement, as both Franz and Arthur are smitten with Odile and are competing to be with her sexually. Yet, they also need her to pull off the robbery. Odile seems to be both enraptured by and scared of Arthur and Franz’s attention towards her. The relationship is often muddled, as Odile is a pawn in the overall scheme, yet also is the fulcrum of the rampant teenage emotions permeating each encounter.
Franz and Arthur were clear Tarantino inspirations in that they are consumers and actors of American pop culture. Franz in particular dresses like a 1950’s mobster and attempts to wear the menacing scowl of a movie bad guy. Arthur reads comic books and talks about X-ray vision. Both play extended games of Billy the Kid, drawing on each other with finger guns and playing out exaggerated imaginary death scenes.
However, Arthur and Franz prove to be vastly different characters. While both are playing the roles of robbers both literally and figuratively, it’s clear Arthur is better equipped to pull it off. He’s the leader of the trio and we later learn that his family appears to have real-life criminal connections. Arthur is the realist of the duo – he’s direct, purposeful and confident in his actions, while Franz sometimes exists in a more philosophical realm of being. Each is dangerous – perhaps as a result of their criminal intentions, imagination and youthful arrogance, which can lead to accidental disaster.
Arthur and Franz compete for Odile’s affections throughout the movie. While Franz first makes contact with Odile, Arthur is determined to prove that he can immediately sleep with her. His first act is to write a crude note that he wishes to see her breasts. He follows up by suggesting that she change her hair, then makes plans for later, stating “now that we love each other.” Arthur’s moves are bold and manipulative – yet the impressionable Odile falls for each of them. She immediately changes her hairstyle, accepts a cigarette and is ready to go where he leads.
Their relationship quickens and the differences between Odile and Arthur are apparent. Arthur props Odile’s chin up and asks about her knowledge of sex. When Odile mentions Arthur as a potential husband, he physically removes himself from her. She later claims to be “lightning struck” by him. He replies that “love is crap.” Odile’s sadness is fleeting. She then becomes fascinated with the forlorn looks of train passengers and a part of the city she’s likely not familar with. They end the scene in bed.
Franz takes a different path in trying to win Odile’s affection. He is awkward around her as he tries to manuever around the edges of Arthur’s boldness. Odile doesn’t know what to make of Franz. He alternates teenage sulk with a foreboding brood much in the way a teenager trying on the role of a movie gangster would. At times Odile is scared of Franz, despite his continued efforts to connect with her.
As the trio get deeper into the mechanics of the robbery, Arthur reveals more of his colder nature while Franz tries to comfort Odile. Yet based on the ludicrous nature of the situation, Franz’s clumsy attempts at sympathy are misplaced. The robbery has gone horribly wrong and afterwards, Franz asks Odile: “why don’t you love me?” She replies: “this is hardly the time.”
The classic dance scene captures the swirl of surrealism that is Band of Outsiders. In between planning the robbery – which has to happen at midnight because according to Arthur, that’s what happens in “bad B movies” – the shifting paradigm of lust and angst leads the three to the dance floor. The dance is fun and unbelievably cool, even some near 60 years later.
However, even more interesting is the narration that captures the thoughts of all three. Franz is questioning whether life forms into a dream or dreams form life, while Odile is wondering if “the boys can see her breasts move under her blouse.” Arthur isn’t thinking about anything in particular; he’s watching his feet hit the right steps as he dances.
While Arthur and Franz are playing roles throughout the movie, Odile remains the quintessential teenager. Odile’s Anna Karina is phenomenal. She’s playing a character who wants to wrap herself in the ideals of love but doesn’t know how to navigate its messy underbelly. Odile allows herself to be drawn into Arthur and Franz’s scheme mainly out of desire. She wants to be with both boys – both physically and in the idealistic emotional sense she has yet to fully understand.
At times, it’s painful to watch Arthur and Franz manipulate her. Odile is the centerpiece of the scheme and she’s involved in its planning, then a moment later she’s an innocent schoolgirl running home without a care. She is legitimately scared during the real robbery, yet its aftermath finds her possibly using her sadness to get emotionally closer to the actual robbers.
Beyond its terrific characters, there is a rich depth to Band of Outsiders. The story is surreal but it’s also oddly funny and features a sardonic but sweet voice throughout. I greatly enjoyed the narration in the movie, which not only captured the main characters’ thoughts but described the look and feel of the surrounding water and air. This is a movie that cares about its environment, yet also feels rebellious enough to poke holes in its facade. The scene in the Louvre is a subversive gem. The trio have time to kill before the robbery so they decide to break the record for the fastest time visiting the Louvre.
My exposure to Godard is basically this movie, so I can’t comment on his body of work. However, it’s evident that he’s not afraid to experiment. He completely takes the audience out of the story to comment on his characters. It’s a terrific scene that is again reminiscent of Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace trying to find something to talk about. They don’t know each other and neither do these three.
The BEST – Arthur Goes Out Hollywood Style
The ending is perfect. Arthur goes back to the proverbial scene of the crime, as any ill-fated bad guy would. He encounters trouble in the form of Mr. Stolz, whose money was the object of the robbery. Ultimately, Arthur meets his fate in a dramatic shootout – but not before staggering across the screen before succumbing to his cinematic fate.
The BEST Part 2 – That Storybook EndingArthur isn’t the only character who gets a Hollywood ending. Franz and Odile embarking on their future is a great spoof on “happily ever after.”
The BEST Part 3 – “Franz thinks the Chinese are going to win.”
This felt like a throwaway line but it made me laugh. Odile explains to Madame Victoria that Franz is no longer in her English class. Why? Evidently, Franz is a student of 21st century economics.
The WORST – Arthur Wouldn’t Survive the Me Too Era”
There are some cringe worthy moments throughout the movie. After all, Franz and Arthur are manipulating Odile for sex and access to a robbery. At their selfish core, neither Franz or Arthur deserve much respect for their treatment of Odile. However, Franz redeems himself as he expresses a dreamer’s soul lurking beneath his adopted persona. Arthur reveals himself as purely aggressive towards Odile – he easily manipulates her emotionally and his physical dominance creates some awkward and ugly moments.
The WORST Part 2 – What’s the Deal with the Random Tiger?Unless Arthur’s family are circus workers, I didn’t get this at all. I’m sure it symbolizes something but I’m at a loss.
THE FOX FORCE FIVE RATING – 4.5/5
I finished Band of Outsiders and an hour later, I truly wanted to watch it again. It’s an incredible movie with remarkable acting and a wholly original style. This review has allowed me to soak in more of what I think the director was trying to do but I must do a deep dive, read the criticism and figure out why people smarter than I find it important.
